Welcome

Founded in 2003, Ecole Chocolat Professional School of Chocolate Arts offers a portfolio of programs for chocolate making – mastering techniques while gaining the expertise and business knowledge you need to become a professional chocolatier or chocolate maker. Or you can opt to just become an expert in chocolate!

About our programs
Our programs are developed by our instructors with the help of industry experts. Unlike a print textbook, the program curricula are constantly updated to reflect the latest news, techniques and advances in the industry. Our instructional team are working professionals – not stuck in a laboratory – and they help to ensure the content of our programs never becomes dated or stale.

Meet our team
It's very important to us that our instructional team be working chocolate professionals as well as have the ability to connect with the student. They bring practical, real-world experience to the programs.

Frequently Asked Questions?
Our FAQs page will help you understand our programs and gain reasonable expectations of what is possible based on the knowledge and techniques you acquire with us.

Chocolatier Program

The Professional Chocolatier Program is an intensive part-time program in chocolate making, delivered 100% online over a three-month period, so you can learn without "re-engineering" your work and personal life. Become a professional chocolatier – learn how to make gourmet chocolate from Ecole Chocolat via your computer, phone or tablet. How do we teach chocolate making online?

Next program: January 5 - April 6, 2018

OR want to get started this Fall?? Our Chocolatier FAST TRACK program starts October 6, 2017. It's the exact same intensive curriculum condensed into a two month period which allows you to obtain your skills more quickly in time for the Holidays!! For more info Click Here.

Professional Chocolatier Program Registration Fee:

$685.00 US funds for US and International Residents
$685.00 CAD funds for Canadian Residents plus GST

and you also have the option of adding the Business Plan for Chocolate Makers program module to build out your business plan. $830.00 US (US & International Residents)/CAD (Canadian Residents – plus GST by province) for the Professional Chocolatier Program PLUS the Business Plan Program at $145.00 – a $50.00 savings. This also allows you another four weeks in the Professional Chocolatier curriculum for extra study and research while you take the Business Plan curriculum.

Note: The registration fee does not include ingredients or equipment. These extra supplies could cost approximately $200 US depending on what small equipment you already own.

If you are NOT currently an Ecole Chocolat student or graduate, please click here: REGISTER NOW

Ecole Chocolat STUDENTS OR GRADUATES DO NO REGISTER HERE - instead click on LEARNING CENTRE And login to your current program or if you are a graduate, login to the Graduate Centre. Once IN your current program or Graduate Centre scroll down the center table of contents to the last module: Continuing Education. You will find the program overview link - click on that.

When is the Professional Chocolatier Program offered during the year?

We offer sessions of the program starting in January, March and August each year.

Is there a restriction on the number of students you take each session?

Even though the curriculum is online, we do cut off registrations when we reach the maximum number of students our instructor and online tutor feel they have adequate time to be able to work with properly.

TO ENSURE A SEAT IN THE PROGRAM, you should register with your payment at least two weeks before the program start date. After that, check the program date above to see if the current session is still open. When the program is full, we change the program date to the future session.

Chocolate aficionados and home chocolate artisans!

If you want to become an expert in chocolate work, but are not interested in starting a business, we offer an alternative: Chocolate Technique and Flavor Stream within the Professional Chocolatier Program. You'll get the same intensive learning experience, but will not be required to complete the last two business-focused assignments. You'll spend that time in additional study, recipe development and practice.

There's no difference in the depth and quality of the education you receive, whichever way you decide to go. Students completing this stream will receive a Certificate of Achievement in Chocolate Technique. Simply register for the Professional Chocolatier Program (not Plus with Business Plan) and then opt for this stream by completing only the required assignments during the program.

What Will I learn?

Understanding chocolate

Develop a shopping list of chocolate-making suppliers for all ingredients and equipment.

Research chocolate crystallization and practice tempering techniques – the building blocks of chocolate work.

Physiology of taste

Understand the chemistry of chocolate in order to create successful chocolate recipes.

Learn modern decorating techniques and experiment in preparation for recipe development.

Technique and production

Learn and practice working with chocolate (including chocolate tempering, dipping, decorating and molding).

What you can accomplish during the program.

Using our online Learning Centre forum as a background, we have examples of our students' and graduates' work:

The left group of photos are images posted by our students during the program, showing the level of skill they obtained. While photos are not required to be graded on technique work, we do encourage students to share any photos they do have with their classmates.

The right group of photos are images of different types of production and presentation techniques, such as molded, hand-dipped and enrobed, from our graduates' websites. Our graduates' success during the program is our success. Click here to learn more about our graduates!

Our Learning Experience

Students will be assessed by completion of assignments throughout the program.

Certificate

Students completing the program with a score of 70% or more will receive an Ecole Chocolat Certificate of Achievement.

What our graduates have to say

EC Graduate Alexandra Clark talks about starting her business in the embedded video.

“I came into this program with an unfocused energy and enthusiasm for chocolate. I couldn't imagine all of the discoveries that awaited me as I made my way through the curriculum. . .I have learned so much in such a short time about the vast world of chocolatiers and chocolate makers big and small, and about important issues within the industry such as ethical, fair and direct cacao sourcing.Craig, Aug. ‘16 Graduate

“The depth of materials provided was brilliant, well organized and easy to access. The curriculum was also very well organized. I liked that I could work at my own pace and fit the program around my life. At the same time, having an assignment due every two weeks really helped with motivation and kept you going.”Rebecca, March '16 Graduate

“When starting this course, I was looking forward to learning about the process of just creating chocolates with filled centers. The actual curriculum, however, exceeded my expectations. The lectures broadened my understanding of how valuable and complex the cocoa bean is and helped open my mind about chocolate in a way that could only have been experienced through this focused curriculum presented by truly passionate chocolatiers.”Celeste, Jan. ‘16 Graduate

You can cancel from the Professional Chocolatier Program up to three days before the start of the program. A refund of your registration fee, minus a 10% administration fee, may take approximately 10 working days to process. Because our programs are usually full, and in order to make sure all students are committed, on the start date of your program your registration fee becomes non-refundable and non-transferable to another session (except in extraordinary circumstances).